I hate to sound like the annoying people on my help desk at work (so please don't hurt me for it), but have you turned off the computer and limited the amount of processes running in the background to refresh your virtual mem?

I've tried putting in huge images that I don't have enough RAM for and they won't load at all even if pagefiling would work. This seems to be something that AE just does. My only suggestion is to get more RAM.

I have to agree with BasharOfTheAges there. I've done two projects in AE in which I basically HAD to upgrade my ram in order to complete the videos. What resolution of files are you trying to work at? There are a few tricks and tweaks that can help things, but it usually wont get you very far.

Zarxrax wrote:What resolution of files are you trying to work at? There are a few tricks and tweaks that can help things, but it usually wont get you very far.

I'm working with Death Note raws which are either at 704x396, or scaled down from 1280x720.

I've fiddled around with the layers and settings a bit and i've isolated the problem to rendering one particular layer, a 3D text layer. Not sure in particular why this one in particular gives AE a hard time though, but here's a screencap of the timeline and frame at 1/3rd resolution: AE Project

Zarxrax wrote:Very odd, since you don't seem to have all that much going on with that layer. If possible, you could try rendering that layer to a file and import it back into the project..

That was my first thought, but when previewing and exporting it will refuse to render that layer and further in the project. There is only about 4 effects running, and i have some layers with about 7 or so without problems.

Vlad G Pohnert wrote:Or try putting the composition into another (nesting).. I've done far more complex stuff with a bunch of nested compositions with no memory issues on my old system with 1 gig ram

Vlad

That sounds like it may be worth a shot. I've already nested some of the earlier sections but i'll try a bit more.

Before that...
Can you determine if any particular one of the effects is causing the problem? If a particular effect is the trouble, turn it off, and all effects under it on that layer. Render the layer to an avi, then apply the effects on that avi. That may work. Alternatively, you could try nesting the comp instead of rendering like vlad said.

Zarxrax wrote:Before that...Can you determine if any particular one of the effects is causing the problem? If a particular effect is the trouble, turn it off, and all effects under it on that layer. Render the layer to an avi, then apply the effects on that avi. That may work. Alternatively, you could try nesting the comp instead of rendering like vlad said.

i think it was the 3d layer that caused it to crack. i'll give it a shot at saving as an avi, that seems fairly promising.

Regarding that, do you really even need the basic 3d effect on there? After Effects has 3d built into each layer already, you just have to turn on the switch... I think the Basic 3d effect is just a throwback from before After Effects supported 3d on the actual layers.

yeah that'd probably run better come to think of it.
Also i think i've figured out why AE is just so bitchy about the one part; it's because it's trying to render two trapcodes after the 3d effect. i've tried making it the lower layer so the trapcode plugins are on top and that seems to help too.